Macaulay Enterprises Ltd. (MEL), the commercial arm of The Macaulay Institute, Aberdeen, will find out this Friday (25 November) at an Awards Dinner at The Savoy Hotel, London, if it has won a prestigious Energy Institute (EI) Award 2005.

MEL is a finalist in the Communication category of the Awards, for its development of uses for the Institute’s virtual landscape theatre, which enables the use of interactive 3D visualizations in consultations over wind farm developments. The other finalists in this category are BP Lubricants, GAIL (India) and Shell/Leiden University/University of Manchester/University of Aberdeen.

Neil Lindsay, Chief Operating Officer of MEL, said: “We are delighted to be a finalist in the Energy Institute Awards this year. The virtual landscape theatre, which is the first mobile unit of its kind in the UK, allows landscapes to be computer modelled and to be viewed by up to 10 observers at one time using an ‘immersive wrap-around’ screen.

“The facility will play a key role in increasing the effectiveness of knowledge-transfer and improving end user relevance in the understanding and awareness of issues in the management of future landscape changes.”

The national EI Awards recognise the achievements of organisations that stretch the boundaries of good practice through innovation and a passionate commitment to their work. The Communication Award, sponsored by Amec, recognises the year’s best group or individual contribution to communication within the energy industry, covering internal and external communications with such stakeholders as regulators, employees, shareholders etc. Key judging criteria include excellence in leadership, innovation, personality and benevolence.

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For further information contact: Karen Sage Tricker PR Office 01224 646 491 Mobile 07795 522012 Email ksage@trickerpr.com

The Macaulay Institute is the premier land use research institute in the UK. Two hundred and seventy staff are based at the Macaulay Institute at Craigiebuckler in Aberdeen. The Macaulay Institute aims to be an international leader in research on the use of rural land resources for the benefit of people and the environment and is involved in research across the globe; from Scotland to Chile and China. More about the Macaulay Institute can be found at www.macaulay.ac.uk.